That Beautiful Thing
by AgentCarter
Summary: "Here it is. That inexplicable, elemantal tug. That surprising sudden feeling you've been waiting for. This is where you find something or someone, and just fall for them." The five stages of falling in love. One shot.


**A/N: The inspiration for this came from the poems on the Galaxy chocolate wrappers from a few years ago. I got the first two and knew that I had to write something but it actually took a while before I found the rest online and then I wasn't really inspired to continue. But that changed last night and I finally managed to finish it. Part of this is two or three years old so I apologise now if some sections sound/feel a little different. Based on when I started writing it, it's set sometime in season 5. Rated M for sexual situations but nothing explicit. Hope you like it.**

****The poem is at the end in case anyone wants to read it.****

****Disclaimer: Neither House nor the Galaxy poem belongs to me. ****

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><p><strong>Attraction<strong>

"_**I don't know why I want you but I really do."**_

She watches as he steals a red lollipop from the jar and absently picks up another file from the nurse's station. He seems oblivious to her gaze and she prefers it that way. Looking from a distance is safer. She watches as he looks through the file, puts it back and picks up another, repeating the process twice more before he's satisfied he has a fairly decent patient. She hates the way he does what he wants but she lets him get away with it because he's a brilliant doctor and, contrary to popular belief, she actually likes him. Likes everything about him; from the greying hair that she imagines running her fingers through, to the obnoxious personality that she fantasises about taming with handcuffs until he's begging her for mercy. She smiles slightly at this fantasy and blushes as he looks up from the file and spots her watching him through her office doors. He notices the slight redness to her cheeks and gives her an exaggerated wink and his trademark smirk and she shifts slightly in her seat wishing he didn't have such an effect on her.

**Flirtation**

"_**The longer the better."**_

She looks up and sees House making his way to her office and she sits up slightly straighter in her seat as she finishes up her e-mail, pretending that she hasn't noticed him coming. They've been playing this game for years and part of her would prefer to keep it that way. The constant push and pull of their relationship is fun for her. She likes the need to 'one-up' him when it comes to their little competitions, it makes the boring parts of her job more bearable knowing that their game could take a new turn any moment.

"Doctor House. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

House smiles at her and she knows that he's thinking the same thing she is:

_Game on._

"The kids picked up a case in the ER yesterday. We need a partial liver transplant so we can keep him alive long enough to work out what's wrong with him."

Cuddy stands and walks around her desk, not allowing him to have the upper hand even though she's still looking up at him even when in her designer heels.

She shakes her head. "Unless he has any family willing to donate- "

"If he had family, I wouldn't be here. Well not to talk about the patient. I would be here to check out the perkiness of your breasts though." He smiles at her and gets a peek down her scoop neck sweater and she tries not to smile herself at his obvious way of checking her out.

She lets him take a slightly longer look than usual before crossing her arms across her chest and speaking again. "You know we can't give him any organs until you diagnose what's wrong with him, then you can give him a whole liver instead of half."

"This man will _die_ in the next twenty four hours if he doesn't get this."

"I'd like to help him." Cuddy replies shrugging her shoulders. She turns and walks back behind her desk, deliberately adding an extra swish to her hips knowing he's getting an eyeful right now. She wipes the grin off her face before turning back round to face him.

"Then you better work fast." She sits down and leans back in her chair as if to say '_end__of__conversation__' _but the way she looks at him with a slight smirk on her face says '_I__can__go__as__long__as__you__can.__'_ He eyes her up and he knows he's lost so he takes the opportunity to check her out again and once more, she lets him then returns the favour, running her eyes from the top of his head to his feet.

Her smirk grows as she sees him shift slightly where he's standing obviously feeling some kind of effect from her blatant staring but he's not embarassed; he simply smiles right back at her before heading out of the office.

No, she thinks as she goes back to work with a smile on her face, she wouldn't give this up for the world.

**Euphoria**

"_**You love me too!"**_

She's breathing heavily as he falls to her side also out of breath. She hadn't expected it to be so...good. Great even. She was sure that the game of cat and mouse they had going was all talk and that the sex could never match their constant verbal battles. And yet, here she was, gasping for breath after one of the best - no, THE best - orgasm she had ever had.

She turns to look at him, seeing his chest rising and falling rapidly then looks back up at the ceiling.

"Wow."

She wishes she could say more but she feels it truly does describe what she's feeling in that moment.

He turns to look at her then and she can see out of the corner of his eye that he's frowning.

"Don't. Sound so. Surprised." He says between breaths.

"I'm not...I mean...just...wow." She turns to meet his eyes then and she can't help but smile at him, noticing the sparkle in his eyes that says he's relaxed and satisfied. She's not sure he knows how to be anything but miserable yet the look on his face is as far as miserable as it can get.

The corners of his mouth turn up quickly and she can actually see he feels the same way she does in that moment; content. As though he too believes they made the right decision to take the next step in their relationship.

"Wow." He breathes as he looks back up at the ceiling, a slight smirk on his face as he closes his eyes.

"Wow." She repeats mimicking his actions as she shifts closer to him.

**Doubt**

"_**Also known as hang on a minute"**_

She's been avoiding him. Three days later and she's convinced herself that she didn't see that sparkle in his eyes or that soft smile playing on his lips. She's waiting for the moment the whole hospital finds out because he's never been one to keep gossip to himself. She knows he starts most of the rumours that get around the hospital and she waits for the embellished accounts of their night together to eventually get back to her.

She holds her breath as her office door opens and lets it out when she sees it's just her assistant with a number of files, letters and memos. She thanks the young woman and makes a mental note to offer her a permanent position as she's the only assistant in three months to hold her own against House and not get scared off by how demanding she can occasionally be. She glances at the memos, seeing there's nothing that requires her attention right away and picks up a letter that she recognises from HR. She scans the letter, feeling her blood pressure slowly rising before pushing her chair back and leaving her office.

"You made a sexual harassment complaint about me?" She growls as she storms across the room to House's desk.

He looks up from the article in the journal he's currently criticising and removes his glasses, eyes greedily roaming her body and it takes her a moment to remember why she's there if it's not to get a repeat performance of a few nights before.

Until he speaks.

"An employee, that's me, has the right to speak to HR about any behaviour they deem to be inappropriate by a colleague or superior, that's you."

"I didn't...I wasn't...what?"

"I'm just trying to help my fellow man – or woman," he leered before continuing. "By making sure this doesn't happen again." He leans back in his chair and it takes all her strength not to reach over and smack the smug look off of his face.

She takes a deep breath and counts to three in an attempt to compose herself eagerly trying to remember what happened three days previous to make her want to sleep with him in the first place.

"And what exactly did you tell HR when you lodged this complaint?"

He regards her for a moment before speaking. "I told them that you made me feel like I had to have sex with you in order to keep my job and that, as you've been avoiding me since we did the dirty deed, I thought you might be looking for the next head of department to coerce into sex."

In that moment, she truly regrets sleeping with.

"I didn't '_coerce__'_ you into anything." She hisses.

"But you are avoiding me."

She opens her mouth to deny the accusation but knows there's not much point. "Yes." She answers instead. "I didn't know how you would behave but, obviously, I should have been more worried about what you would do if I avoided you. I'm...sorry." she finishes practically chocking the word out. Why should she be sorry? This is House she's dealing with. She had every right to be concerned about his behaviour around the hospital after they had slept together. She just _really_needs this complaint to be resolved.

"I'll take back the complaint."

She lets out a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you." He simply nods as she turns, heading for the door and hears him scramble out of his chair as she pulls open the door and turns down the corridor to the elevators.

"Cuddy!"

She pauses and turns around slowly, watching as he limps towards her.

"Who should I speak to about retracting my statement?" His voice is still raised and she rolls her eyes. "The name on the letter. I forgot. Ivor...?" He lamely offers.

She looks down at the letter. "Biggun." She clenches her jaw, kicking herself for not noticing it earlier and looks up to see him grinning.

"Thank you, Cuddy, but do you really think that's an appropriate thing to say to your employee?" He's still shouting and she notices people starting to stare.

"Did you steal stationary from HR just to get my attention?" She hisses and even as she says it, she knows it's not as farfetched as she originally believed. Not for him anyway.

He's grinning again and she bites her lip trying not to grin back at him but she knows it's unsuccessful and, instead, turns away from him.

As she steps onto the elevator and sees him heading back to his office, she realises that maybe she doesn't regret sleeping with him after all.

**The Truth**

"_**Also known as the big whooperdoodle or, the most important part of this whole sloppy, thrilling infuriating marvellous experience."**_

Even as she moves around her room picking up his clothes and placing them in the laundry basket she knows that agreeing to this relationship is one of the best decisions she's ever made. House is messy, annoying and has a tendency to lie to her on a regular basis but, at the same time, she loves every minute she spends with him. He's intense but she's not intimidated by it at all; had any other guy insist he spend a majority of nights at her place so early on in the relationship, she would have run in the opposite direction but there's something about House that had her agreeing and trying to stop herself from inviting him to move in with her. Never has someone had this much of a hold on her and it frightens and excites her all at the same time.

She smiles as the shower is shut off and lets out a soft laugh when she realises Thong Song is his song of choice this morning. She pulls her dressing gown tighter around her and opens her closet as the door to her bathroom opens and House enters with a towel tied around his hips. She attempts to ignore him as he draws closer to her continuing to request he "see her thong" but can't help but smile as he presses himself against her, water dripping from his head on to her shoulders.

"Not this morning, I'm afraid." She answers, a shiver going through her as he kisses her neck. "I'm already late enough as it is." She tells him as she reaches for her chosen outfit.

He turns her around to face him and takes her clothes from her hand and throws them back in the closet behind her. She lets out a mild sound of protest but it quickly disappears as he begins kissing from behind her ear down her neck to her collar bone. Without her realising it, he's untied the knot holding her dressing gown together and parts it revealing her almost naked body to the cool air around them.

"There it is." He announces and there's a victorious tone to his voice as he runs his hands up her thighs and round to her ass, his thumbs rubbing the top of her black underwear. "That thong th-thong, thong thong." He sings and before she can even think about pushing him away for being so childish, he's turned them both towards the bed and pushed her down on to it.

As he kisses down her body, stopping briefly at her breasts and stomach, she wonders why they lied to themselves, and each other, for so long. This is obviously a relationship they should have started a long time ago and as he crawls further down her body and slowly removes her underwear before placing his face between her legs, she knows, in all honesty, the build up was just as much fun as the current pay off.

**END**

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><p><strong><em>ATTRACTION<em>** flirtation, euphoria, doubt, the truth

**(_I don't know why I want you, but I really do_)**

Here it is. That inexplicable, elemantal tug. That surprising sudden feeling you've been waiting for. This is where you find something or someone, and just fall for them.

Illogical, irresistible. And find yourself thinking of nothing else.

Because its attraction, and the dream of love to follow, that keeps the imagination alive.

It's attraction that makes life sparkle fizzle and pop.

attraction, **_FLIRTATION_**, euphoria, doubt, the truth

**(_The longer the better_)**

and so you dance around it  
>you draw it out you tease towards love<br>this is pure physical poetry. its the thrill of communicating by give and take, the simple charm of tugging at another heart and waiting hoping for a response  
>its the improbably joyous celebration of going absolutely nowhere for a long, long time<br>all in the anticipation that you've actually on your way slowly tiptoe-ingly to somewhere truly marvellous

attraction, flirtation, **_EUPHORIA_**, doubt, the truth

**(_You love me too!_)**

You feel fizzy, you feel funny. You don't want to stop and breathe. You don't want to think. You just want to hold onto this unbelievable rush.

You tell yourself, I could learn to live with this feeling.

You tell yourself, this love, I won't question.

This love, I will simply enjoy.

Because this love is, quite possibly, the one...

attraction, flirtation, euphoria, **_DOUBT_**, the truth

**(_Also known as hang on a minute_)**

But wait now come those pesky inevitable things the questions.

You wonder could this really be as good as it seems? You ask is this love or just foolishness? Is this really it?

Maybe you're being too hopeful naive even maybe you just want to believe it so much.. And yet, and still..

You can't shake that inexplicable tug, and you kind of don't want to...

attraction, flirtation, euphoria, doubt, **_THE TRUTH_**

**(_Also known as the big whooperdoodle or, the most important part of this whole sloppy, thrilling, infuriating marvellous experience_.)**

...So this is love. As wondrous and scary and fabulous as it can be. It may have started with mere attraction, but where it's ended is somewhere deeper and truer and endlessly more fulfilling.  
>And despite yourself, you will have learned a little something along the way. That euphoria doesn't have to be fleeting. That love can survive doubt. That a joyful instinct should never be repressed.<br>And so throw yourself into love. Heart first.

Never stop falling in love…


End file.
